From the Heavens
by Heliotropium
Summary: After stealing the Star Rods from one dimension, the Space Pirates flee to Angel Land with their booty, and warriors from Popstar in hot pursuit.
1. Absent Dreams

I got this idea after seeing the Space Pirates images, and was all like what Space Pirates. And it turns out they steal from constellations of all things, and the stage was set up like the Brawl Halberd stages. And that annoying shipper in me just will never go away and leave me alone.

Despite said shipper, I'll try to keep the pairings down, unless they feel necessary.

Spoilers for both Kirby's Return to Dreamland and Kid Icarus Uprising.

* * *

><p>The fight with Magolor had tired out Kirby in several ways. It was not the first time Kirby had been so utterly tricked and betrayed by someone he considered a friend. The worst part about those betrayals was the fact that he could not make up with them. Kirby already made up with King Dedede several times, and even the mysterious and aloof Meta Knight eventually made peace with him. As far as he knew, Magolor and Marx would never come back. The pink puffball ended up sulking for a week. He didn't respond to Meta Knight's offers to spar, or Waddle Dee's requests to go fishing. He even turned down King Dedede's challenges to a Gourmet Race. It was truly serious.<p>

That's when Meta Knight decided to bring out the big guns so to speak. He contacted everyone Kirby had befriended over the years to cheer him up. Rick, Coo, and Kine came first, followed closely by Nago, Chuchu, and Pitch. They all threw him a reunion party, which seemed to cheer him up quite a bit.

Next, the masked knight lent Kirby a magic mirror that allowed him to speak with his mirror counterpart. Hearing about the peace in the Mirror World brightened Kirby's spirit and renewed his hope. Unfortunately, Meta Knight cut the chat quickly when Shadow Kirby began to reveal the amount of times he forgot the magic mirror was not his usual one and how long he spent primping.

One day, an entire cake arrived for Dreamland's hero. Meta Knight managed to make contact with Daroach and the Squeak Squad. Although they were unable to come and visit, they sent the cake in hopes it would make Kirby happy again. He was so thrilled by the gesture, he almost ate the handwritten note.

As for the cherry topping, to Kirby's utter surprise and delight, Prince Fluff popped out of the magic sock, though he had trouble getting out of the drawers. Everything had been going swimmingly, and Kirby seemed to forget all about Magolor. He had been getting his way after so long, and was finally letting himself settle down once again…

So when the blue yarn boy complained about not dreaming his first night over, Kirby instantly panicked. One does not ever not have dreams in Dreamland. It was unheard of! There had to be something wrong. When Prince Fluff suggested they go sightseeing all of Dreamland's landmarks to get Kirby's mind off a seemingly trivial matter, the pink hero instantly remembered one of his adventures. Kirby raced to the Fountain of Dreams with Prince Fluff in tow, only to find everyone else surrounding it. They spotted King Dedede who was in the process of finding his jaw.

"What the hemline's going on?" the prince of Patchland demanded. Dedede could not answer, his jaw still hanging on by a few threads. Bandana Dee shut his jaw for him and pointed to the Fountain of Dreams.

The Star Rod was gone.

"This isn't good." The three jumped and spun around to see Meta Knight, his cape fluttering behind him as he approached.

"No stitch Sherlock!" Prince Fluff groaned. Golden eyes rolled around in the darkness of Meta Knight's visor.

"I don't mean about the Star Rod." The blue knight growled. "The Squeak Squad had to make an emergency landing on Popstar. They were attacked in deep space."

"Poyo!" Kirby gasped. "Where are they now!"

His question was answered when the Halberd landed close by Castle Dedede.

"I'm not letting those rats into my castle!" Dedede shouted, finally snapping his jaw in place.

"This is an emergency!"

"We have a bigger emergency here!"

"No Dedede. Daroach told me some disturbing news. The Star Rods from the other stars around us are gone too."

* * *

><p>Word spread quickly and soon all of Popstar was hysterical. Residents of Dreamland clamored over to Castle Dedede to demand action from their King.<p>

"Arg, what do they expect me to do!" Dedede moaned in frustration.

"To do your job." Meta Knight coughed, hiding his amusement.

"Ugh, now I know why I fired you!"

"I quit on my own accord."

"Poyo!" Kirby yelped, trying to get their attention.

"Here Kirby," Prince Fluff interrupted. "You do it like this." As Dedede was ready to shout at Meta Knight, the Patchlander whipped his arm around Dedede's mouth and pulled it shut. Only Bandana Dee seemed concerned by this action.

"Thank you your highness." Meta Knight said dryly. The yarn prince rolled his eyes.

"Look, this isn't just about Popstar." He said. "That Daroach guy said that the other Star Rods are gone, right?"

"I can only confirm the ones around us." The swordsman replied. "I'll see if I can get into contact with Ripple Star."

A soft groan caught their attention. Daroach had escaped the infirmary, a paw on his largest wound and the other against the wall for support. "No need to bother, the Power Crystal's fine, otherwise it would be even worse." The Squeak nearly collapsed at that next step. Kirby immediately rushed over to him, poyo-ing frantically.

"You should be in bed!" Prince Fluff cried. "Or you'll do more than just bust a seam."

"Who let this cat toy in here…"

"Who are you calling a cat toy!"

The young prince whipped Dedede away and immediately positioned himself to grab Daroach.

"That's enough!" Meta Knight roared. "Daroach, what is so important that you're ignoring doctors' orders to tell us?"

"I know who did it." The leader of the Squeak Squad grunted. "It was the Space Pirates."

Meta Knight was the only one who flinched at the news.

"What's a Space Pirate poyo?" Kirby wondered aloud. Prince Fluff shrugged while Dedede put a hand on his sore jaw in question.

"Space Pirates are nothing more than filthy thieves." Meta Knight hissed, the anger clear in his voice. "They don't just steal treasure; they steal the very power of stars and entire constellations."

"They sound scary…" Bandana Dee finally spoke up. "How do you know about them, Sir Meta Knight?" The knight merely pulled out his golden sword.

"Many years ago, they tried to claim Galaxia." He answered. "I still consider myself extremely lucky for beating them to her." Daroach seemed to perk up at the possible value of the sword, but shrank back at its owners glare. "If it were the Space Pirates who stole the Star Rods, then we must make haste and recover them before they get too far away from us."

"Why is that poyo?"

"Because if the Star Rods are too far from their Fountain of Dreams for a long time, they lose their power and their worlds slowly die in a cold, dreamless sleep. Shiver Star is facing that crisis right now."

"Then how the handstitch are you going to get them back?"

"We'll use the Halberd—"

"I hate to break it to you." Daroach interrupted. "But unless we suddenly got a dimensional cutting device, none of our ships will catch them. There's a snowball's chance in Hotbeat the pixies on Ripple Star are going to lend you the Power Crystal right now."

The room suddenly became quiet. Even Meta Knight was lost in thought.

"Umm…" Bandana Dee suddenly spoke up. "What about the Lor Starcutter?"

"The Lor Starcutter?" Prince Fluff parroted. "What the felt is that?"

"It's a big ol' ship that can do just that." Dedede explained. "That jerk Magolor had us repair it so he could take over the worlds."

"But it's free from his control!" the spear wielding Waddle Dee added. "It's got a mind of its own. It's so cool."

"Unfortunately, it must have returned to Halcandra with Landia." Meta Knight sighed. "We have no way of getting it, unless…" He snapped his fingers. "Nova."

"A clockwork star?" Daroach blurted. "That would be an easy fix, but you're not going to get the energy to summon that thing."

"I know that!" the blue puffball snapped. "But Magolor told us something very interesting when we gathered all of the Energy Spheres for the Lor." He glanced at Kirby, Waddle Dee, and Dedede to jump to the same conclusion. To his disappointment, they stared at him in confusion. "…He said that the construction of the Lor gave rise to the clockwork stars and items that bring dreams to life. He was talking about Nova and the Star Rods!" He gestured dramatically at Daroach. "Even _he_ knows what the clockwork stars are!"

"And?"

Meta Knight had to stop himself from banging his face against the floor. Instead, he brought his palm to the top of his head and sighed loudly.

"Fine. Do what you wish. I'm going to do some research." With that, he threw his cape around himself and teleported away.

"…That guy's got a needle stuck in his buttonhole the size of his own ship."

* * *

><p>After rummaging around through Meta Knight's things, Kirby and Prince Fluff finally located the magic mirror to talk to Shadow Kirby. After filling the black puffball in on the recent events, they waited his reply.<p>

"Meta's just worried." Shadow Kirby finally said. "He loves Popstar as much as you do."

"He doesn't have to be a huge elitist jerk about it." Prince Fluff spat. Kirby gave him a disapproving look while his mirror self giggled.

"But that's what makes Meta Meta."

"Poyo… He said something about Nova and research… Do you know anything?"

Shadow Kirby paused to think. "Galactic Nova. That's the wish making comet, isn't it?" The pink puffball nodded in affirmation. "But Meta already knows how to summon Nova. He did it not too long ago."

"Hold the fold!" Prince Fluff exclaimed. "The old man summoned that thing already? What in Patchland could he have wished for?" The mirror Kirby shifted uncomfortably, a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by the brash young prince. "Out with it, Shades!"

"Meta wanted to fight the strongest warrior in the galaxy. After beating him, he… looked really happy, like he ate a big cake, and calmed down a lot."

"Galacta Knight…" Kirby whispered softly, recalling a vague memory of a masked warrior surrounded by feathers.

"That pompous git beat Galacta Knight!" Prince Fluff exclaimed in surprise. "The strongest warrior in the galaxy, _across several dimensions_? _**That**_ Galacta Knight?" Shadow Kirby nodded.

"He is like Kirby and me." He explained. But before Shadow Kirby could elaborate, the door opened. Prince Fluff and Kirby turned around to see Meta Knight, glaring at them.

"I won't ask why you're here and why my room is a mess." He growled. "If you come with me without asking questions." The two intruders exchanged looks and quietly agreed to follow the knight. Prince Fluff literally pulled a zipper across his mouth to prevent himself from speaking while Kirby stuffed his mouth with an apple Meta Knight had lying around in his room. The caped swordsman led them outside and to an empty field.

"Kirby. I believe you have residual energies from Galactic Nova's core and from the other Fountain of Dreams resting within you. When you gathered extra energy during Dedede's so called revenge, you were able to summon a Starship to battle with Kabula, were you not?"

Kirby swallowed the apple. "I did poyo." He had forgotten all about that. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"The stars responded to you when Kabula shot your Warpstar down. However, if you took those stars and concentrated, I wonder what would come out instead?" With a flourish of his cape, Meta Knight held up three glistening stars. They flew out of his hands, dancing in the air as they surrounded Kirby. "Now concentrate. Reach deep down within yourself. There is an energy that belongs to the Lor Starcutter. Seize it, and it shall respond to your call."

Kirby closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the stars fill him with power. He saw a starry landscape paint the recesses of his mind. For all the people he met, there was a twinkling star filled with memories. Meta Knight's and Prince Fluff's stars were close by. He could see and feel the people associated with the different stars across the sky. There were stars for Dedede, Daroach, his animal friends, Gooey, Shadow Kirby, Ribbon, Adeleine, and many others. There were even stars for different objects he's encountered. Galaxia's star rotated around Meta Knight while the different metamortex patches orbited around Prince Fluff. He even recognized the star belonging to Popstar's Star Rod, though it was very faint and far away. He wanted to chase it, but he knew he had to look for another star. His search was abruptly halted when he bumped into something.

"READY.-" Kirby instantly recognized the tiny star as Nova. "I CANNOT GRANT WISHES… - BUT MAYBE I CAN HELP YOU FIND SOMETHING. -"

"Poyoo…" Kirby cooed. "I want to find the Lor Starcutter."

"OKAY. - 3… 2… 1… GO! -"

Before Kirby could poyo, Nova's star swung behind him and rammed him. He went flying far into the abyss, but felt a warm light. The three stars Meta Knight provided caught him and guided him to a familiar white and blue star.

"Lor Starcutter!" The puffball cried. "Please, come to us! I want to save everyone!"

At that moment, everything stood still. The star then slowly glided towards him, and just as it snuggly tucked itself under Kirby's hand, the starry sky disappeared. Instead, he saw Meta Knight and Prince Fluff peering at him.

"It's coming."

On cue, a star shaped portal materialized in the sky. The grand Lor Starcutter broke through and landed gracefully in front of the three.

"Holy swatch, that thing's amazing!" Prince Fluff gasped.

"She is a grand ship." Meta Knight admitted. "Capable of cutting through dimensions, the Lor Starcutter is the key to getting the Star Rods back."

"So it's going to fetch it for you guys?"

"That would be easy, poyo!"

"No. Someone will have to go. The Space Pirates will take her if she's unmanned. We'll need a crew."

Prince Fluff and Kirby exchanged a look. Knowing the scene earlier at the castle, that was going to take a while.

* * *

><p>Prince Fluff's cloth pun curses are so fun.<p> 


	2. the one who ate everything

The Lor Starcutter sat where it was, waiting for a crew to man her. Unfortunately, as Prince Fluff and Kirby dreaded, Meta Knight and Dedede immediately began arguing who would go.

"I am a King, I should go!" Dedede whined.

"A proper king knows his place." Meta Knight snarled. "We can't afford to lose 'our king.'"

"Whatdaya mean 'we'? Why do you think you should go?"

"Because I have much more experience than you do with these matters!"

Prince Fluff sighed, rubbing the side of his head. "These old dudes aren't being reasonable."

"Poyoo…"

Daroach folded his ears in, trying to tune out the arguing.

"And we did so well finding all those Energy Spheres for the Lor…" Waddle Dee said wistfully.

"That must have been a fluke." Daroach groaned. "It has to be."

"Enough! Poyo!" Kirby huffed angrily. "Stop fighting!"

Like magic, Dedede and Meta Knight were stunned into silence.

"Which one of us do you want to go with you then?" Meta Knight spoke up. "It has to be one. The other must stay and protect Dreamland while you're gone."

"Poyo… I don't know… I can't decide… You're both my friends, so I can't choose!"

"We'll take a vote then!" Dedede exclaimed. He shot a glare at Bandana Dee.

"I—I vote for King Dedede to go!" The poor Waddle Dee stuttered in fear.

"I'm going to go with Meta Knight." Daroach yawned. "He knows his stuff well. Whatever his stuff is."

"Prince Fluff?"

The yarn prince paused to think, tapping his foot against the floor. "Yeah, I have to vote for Meta Knight too."

"What!" Dedede screamed. "What about choosing royalty over riff-raff!"

"Daroach is right." He explained. "Meta Knight DOES know a lot, and he's dealt with the Space Pirates before. Besides… Who can rally the other Stars around here to defend each other better than a king? You have political power and he doesn't have stitch."

The penguin like king had to pause to process the young prince's blatant flattery. He grinned and laughed, pointing at Meta Knight. "He's right, I got the power and you don't! Go, lowly peons, and leave Dreamland to me!"

"Time to go then." Meta Knight and Prince Fluff began pushing Kirby to the door before Dedede noticed he gave up his right to go with the pink puffball.

"Thank you for your support, Prince Fluff." Meta Knight said once they were by the Lor Starcutter.

The yarn boy waved off the knight's gratitude. "I think Kirby'd have a better time if you were there. Not saying that the old King is weak, but you're just… You beat Galacta Knight, that has to count for something outside of this dimension!"

"…It's nothing to be overly proud about." The knight muttered. "I am… merely relieved his soul is finally at rest." Kirby stared at him questioningly.

"Meta…?"

"Let us depart now." Meta Knight commanded. "The more time we waste here, the longer our planet suffers."

"Sheesh, there's the ol' prickly velcro personality again." Prince Fluff coughed. He ignored the glare the masked puffball was giving him, opting to pat Kirby's arm. "I'm sorry I can't go with you this time bud. We're the best team ever, even better than him and you." Kirby poyo'd in agreement. "But I gotta protect my world. You understand that, right?"

"Right poyo!" Kirby cheered. "I don't want to see Patchland all torn apart again poyo. Everyone was so sad to be separated."

Prince Fluff grinned. He then pulled out a small ankle sock. "Take this magic sock! It's a messenger sock that works across dimensions. Patchlander royalty used it long ago when looking for suitable threads to create our castle. This way, we'll keep in touch." Kirby, forgetting all formalities, tackled his friend in a great hug.

"Poyooo! You're a good friend!"

"H—Hey, get off me already! Meta Knight's watching!"

The said knight rolled his eyes around in his mask. Wrapping his cape around him, he waited for the entrance to the star ship to appear. "Come now Kirby. The Star Rods are waiting for us."

Kirby jumped off his textile counterpart and bounced towards Meta Knight. "I'll be back with the Star Rods soon poyo!" He disappeared behind the door, stepping across the reflective floor. Meta Knight followed and took to the controls.

"I know this place gives you bad memories." He said. "So I'll handle getting over to where the Space Pirates are. Why don't you explore and play some games?"

Kirby nodded and headed off to the abilities rooms. Once he was gone, the knight stared at the terminal and began searching. He frowned under his mask when the Lor located their location.

"Angel Land…"

* * *

><p>Kirby quickly grew bored of beating the dummy around with no one watching. The minigames were no fun by himself, and his Platinum scores in the challenges didn't feel as rewarding without praise. So he paced around as Meta Knight did his thing. He opted to alternate between surfing and ice skating in the abilities room. He was ready to switch when he bumped into something hard.<p>

"We'll be warping in a moment, but there's something we have to do first." Meta Knight announced. Kirby jumped to his feet and ejected his ability readily.

"What do we have to do poyo?" He asked a little too excitedly.

"We have to transform."

"Is there a different ability room around here?"

There was a hint of amusement in the masked puffball's voice. "Something like that." Kirby jumped on Meta Knight and climbed on him while he was still surprised.

"Take us there!"

Meta Knight lead Kirby down the hallway. He pressed a button to reveal a door he had never seen before during their travels. The room was very simple, a round room with a control panel and several lights surrounding the wall.

"Stand in the center." The knight instructed. The pink hero obeyed and dashed to the center of the room. Meta Knight went to the control panel and began typing. He then pressed a button and rushed to join Kirby in the center. The room suddenly lit up, energy buzzing around them. Kirby nearly panicked, feeling himself rapidly change. The sensation was short lived, and he found himself sitting. He rubbed his head, and immediately stopped and looked at his hands.

He had hands. And fingers! He jolted to his feet, marveling at the change. He was just like Adeleine! He looked over at Meta Knight, who turned out to be an older man who towered over him, much to his disappointment.

"Why are we human, poyo?" Kirby asked, pulling at his pink clothes.

"We need to blend in the world the Space Pirates took the Star Rods to." Meta Knight explained. "It just so happens to be full of humans."

"So we're almost there?"

"Yes, we're almost there. Come now, we'll train so we can get used to these bodies."

The tall man stood up with no problem and offered a hand to the young Star Warrior. Kirby gratefully took it and held on fast when he wobbled on his new tall legs. Everything was so strange from that perspective. Moving around proved to be hard work he would have rather avoided, but Meta Knight insisted he learn now. Once he mastered walking, they began to practice fighting. The biggest thing that threw Kirby off was his inability to inhale, though he seemed to retain being able to use abilities. Touching the pedestal sent a warm energy swirling around him as the ability hat manifested on his head. To his delight, using them was the same, minus aiming adjustments. After the long training session was over, Meta Knight smiled.

"You learn quickly." He praised. "Just as I expected of you."

"You know, poyo…" Kirby began after a thought struck him. "We're not home anymore, so you can show your face."

"Absolutely not." Was the knight's quick retort. He wrapped his cape around him and stalked out of the room.

"Poyo! I'm sorry!"

Kirby immediately grabbed the mantle, creating sad little wrinkles in the fine cloth. Meta Knight growled and threatened to pull out his sword, but a sudden shaking stopped him. Immediately, the alarms began to ring. Kirby remembered the shrill sirens from when Landia attacked the Lor Starcutter.

"They've already spotted us?" Meta Knight growled. "Come on Kirby, I'll need your help manning the ship!" The blue haired man shooed the young child to the control room where two seats mysteriously awaited them at the module. "I'll steer, you focus on shooting the enemy."

Kirby nodded and climbed onto his seat while Meta Knight took the helm. Belts snaked around their bodies and clasped in place, holding them firmly in their chairs. Meta Knight immediately turned the Lor Starcutter to avoid oncoming fire. Kirby scanned the screen for the enemy. He caught sight of the bright blue metal of another ship breaching from the ocean like mass of stars.

"That's the Space Pirate ship!" Meta Knight exclaimed. Kirby locked on and opened fire. The Lor immediately shot star shaped projectiles, which seemed to dent the other ship when they made contact. "Keep on it, we'll force the Star Rods out of their filthy hands!"

Kirby nodded. He felt a strange sensation from the Space Pirate ship, as if many stars were crying out to return home. Among the confusion, he felt the Star Rods and the calm wave they emitted. He had to get them back to everyone. Suddenly, the Space Pirate ship turned and rammed the Lor Starcutter with its blade like bow.

"Poyo!" Kirby cried. "They're stuck to us!"

Meta Knight immediately tore off his seat belt, threw off his cape, and drew his sword. "They're going to use this chance to board. We can't let them!"

The pink haired boy ran to the abilities room. He skid to a stop at the first room and quickly took the energy from the Sword pedestal. He dashed to join the knight and together they rushed to intercept the Space Pirates. They were strange beings with energy like bodies covered in metallic armor, holding different weapons. Meta Knight's sword sliced through them with ease as he kicked their bodies back out of hole while Kirby had some difficulty getting through their armor. The two were able to push the invading force back onto their bridge made of a light like material.

"Stay back, I'm going to break the bridge!" Meta Knight commanded. Kirby obeyed, holding ground in case any Space Pirates managed to jump over. The dark haired man unfurled his wings. He pushed off from the bridge and held Galaxia over his head, concentrating while the pink warrior shot sword beams at any pirates who dared interrupt his charge. Finally, Meta Knight swung his golden sword down, sending a fiery wave of energy down. The sheer force and power of the attack shattered the bridge and freed the Lor from the pirate ship. As Meta Knight flew back to the hole, the Lor suddenly jerked away. Kirby heard a painful thud from the side of the ship.

"Meta Knight!"

Kirby attempted to check on his friend, but the Lor had already placed a force field around the hole, preventing any entries or exits. The boy fell over as the ship sped off faster than Meta Knight could fly.

"Lor, wait! Meta Knight is still out there!" he cried to no avail. The Lor Starcutter would not stop for him. Though time stopped in Kirby's mind, the ship did not until it slowed down. The floor beneath him suddenly transformed into a conveyer belt and flung the Dream Land resident out the door and onto grass. Kirby rubbed his face and watched as the Lor shrank in size and transformed into an armband that instinctively slid up Kirby's arm. He tapped the ship-turned-accessory to find no response.

"Poyo…" Kirby scanned his surroundings. He was in a field of grass with no one in sight. A flash of stone caught his attention. He realized it was a town. He scrambled to his feet and sheathed his sword on his back. He ran towards his new destination.

* * *

><p>Pit stretched out his wings as he made his way to the washroom. Despite worrying all night over the fate of Dark Lord Gaol and Magnus, he managed to get enough sleep to function. He cleaned up and dressed himself quickly. As he passed the window on the way to the mess hall, he could have sworn he saw something fall through Skyworld and enter the Overworld, but he dismissed it as dizzy spots. The angel crammed his food down his throat and rubbed his stomach. He disliked rushing, but he knew they were at war with the Underworld; no one could take their time anymore.<p>

"_Pit."_ Palutena's voice rang through his head. _"Get ready, we have an emergency."_

"I'm on my way, Lady Palutena!"

He could hear the worry in the Goddess of Light's voice and immediately understood her urgency. A revived Hewdraw was leading an invasion against Skyworld. He was surprised to see the dragon not only flying, but sporting two extra heads which proved to be more of an annoyance than a challenge. He quickly disposed of the extra heads and the main body. Unfortunately, that wasn't the end. Palutena guided Pit down to the Overworld where they found two of the Hewdraw's heads still alive and bouncing around a human town. The sight would have been comical had it not been for the screams of the people. He quickly swooped in and descended into town. His eyes lit up when food fell from the heavens. He ran to eat it before the three second rule took place, but to his surprise, some kid in strange pink clothing leaped from the rubble and gobbled up his snack.

"Hey, that was for me!" Pit cried. The kid chewed thoroughly and looked at Pit.

"Sorry poyo!" He said. "But I was just so hungry."

The angel sighed. The kid looked at him with such innocent, sparkling eyes. It was nearly impossible to say no to that face. "It's fine…" He rubbed his stomach which protested. "In any case, you should get inside. It's not safe."

"Poyo? What's going on?" the child asked.

"If you haven't noticed, there's a couple of dragon heads bouncing around town."

"Oh those. They made me lose my sword ability, poyo."

Before Pit could question the kid's sanity, a stray Monoeye charged at them. The kid stared at it and grinned.

"Waddle Doo with tentacles!" He cheered and raced towards it.

"Hey, watch out!"

The kid expertly dodged the Monoeye's blast and grabbed one of its tentacles. To Pit's disgust, he put it in his mouth. The Monoeye's eye widened in pain and the angel could have sworn there were tears forming. All of a sudden, the Monoeye began to glow and dissipate. The golden energy swirled around the kid, sparkling like stars. The stars concentrated on his head and his hand and turned into a jester's hat and wand respectively.

"Beam!"

Another Monoeye appeared to replace its lost comrade, but the kid swung the wand and a whip made of sparks shot out and sliced through the Underworld Monster. Pit had to physically set his jaw back in place in his awe.

"_This is interesting."_ Palutena commented. _"He's definitely not from here." _

"Where's he from then?" Pit asked quietly.

"_I'm not sure, I'll have to check my sources, but I sense great power in him." _

"No kidding…"

"Poyo? Where is the lady?" The kid asked.

"_So you can hear me?" _

"Yep!"

"_Well then, that's even more interesting! Who are you?"_

"I'm Kirby, poyo. Kirby of the Stars."

-divider-

Together, Pit and Kirby swept through town, destroying all trace of monsters in their wake. Kirby had some interesting abilities. He could charge up his attack and unleash a ball of energy that tore through most enemies. He could run up to one and suddenly twirl a whip of blue beams that seemed to go on indefinitely. He could even rain the sparking beads of the whip on the ground if he so chose to. Most interestingly though, he could use his normal beam whip in the air repeatedly and not fall. That just wasn't fair.

Kirby claimed that wasn't all he could do.

Pit had never been so jealous of anyone. Sure, the centurions could fly, but Pit had great heart and ingenuity that led him to rise in rank. Sure, Magnus was really buff and could probably iron all his clothes on his abs, but he was slow and couldn't shoot things from afar.

"_It's alright to be jealous Pit, just don't hold it against him."_ Palutena teased.

"I—I'm not jealous!" Pit countered a little too quickly. Kirby just smiled at him as if he hadn't heard. He found he could not hate Kirby as Palutena suggested. The kid was too nice for his own good. They did work together well as a team, and that was a giant bonus. They had taken down a Hewdraw head together in no time flat and were on their way to the lake. Suddenly, a single Hewdraw burst from the waters and roared. Kirby jumped back and Pit held his hand back protectively.

"I see you brought company." The Hewdraw commented. "But it won't matter, I'll just eat both of you!"

"Poyo…" Kirby whined. "Why do monsters always try to eat me?"

"That's what monsters do." Pit quipped.

"_Well you two better get to defeating him before he makes grilled Pit with a side of mashed Kirby!" _

"Poyo! No mashed Kirby!"

Luckily for the pink haired boy, the two remained off the menu. With eerie synchronization, the two easily lured the Hewdraw out of the water and relentlessly assaulted the dragon. Pit's blade shaved off some of the scales on the Hewdraw's back while Kirby took advantage of the opening and whipped searing beams at the unprotected flesh. In no time, the Hewdraw took too much damage and was defeated.

"And I was looking forward to grilled Pit and mashed Kirby!" The Hewdraw bellowed with its final breath. It exploded in a mysterious light, filling Pit and Kirby with relief.

"Poyo… I wonder if he was a big eel. Like for sushi."

Pit stared at Kirby, suddenly feeling unsafe in the boy's presence.

"_Good job you two! You guys deserve a good rest!" _

Before Pit could question, Palutena extracted them from the site with a warm beam of light. Kirby blinked owlishly at the sudden change in scenery.

"Poyo? Where's my ability?" He asked, pointing to his new lack of hat.

"I put it in that device on your arm, Kirby."

Pit immediately whipped around and kneeled before his goddess as she arrived to greet them.

"You put it in the Lor?" Kirby asked. "How?"

"It's hard to explain."

"Oh, okay."

Palutena giggled at Kirby's simplicity.

"If you don't mind Lady Palutena," Pit interjected. "I'd like to show him around Skyworld."

"I'm afraid that's going to have to wait." She sighed. "I need to ask him a few things first. But after that, you two can take a nice soak in the hot springs."

The brunet's expression turned dreamy at the thought. "Alright, call me when you're done and I'll show him around!" With that, the captain ran off. Kirby watched him disappear before turning to the tall woman before him. She was much taller than Adeleine!

"What did you want to ask me?" The child wondered.

"I just wanted to know where you're from."

"I'm from Popstar!" Kirby answered happily. He didn't notice the strange expression on Palutena's face.

"Popstar? That's very far from here!" She remarked.

"It is poyo, but the Lor Starcutter brought us here."

"Us?"

"Me and Meta Knight… But we got separated by the Space Pirates poyo…" The thought of his missing friend filled him with sorrow. He wondered if Meta Knight was hurt. If Meta Knight was hurt, he didn't know what to do. It wasn't like the time Dark Meta Knight imprisoned him in the Amazing Mirror. He could just easily locate the mirror shards and beat up the bad guy. But he was in a completely unfamiliar environment and a completely unfamiliar body. He looked up at Palutena with teary eyes. "Will you help me find him? We're supposed to get the Star Rods back from those stupid Space Pirates!"

His plea struck Palutena in the heart. "I wish I could, but right now we're busy preparing for a war."

"I'll help!" The Dream Lander desperately offered. "I'll help Pit beat up the bad guys so you don't have to go to war, poyo!"

The goddess was taken aback. She could certainly use the extra muscle, but she almost felt bad for taking advantage of such an innocent boy. She could sense his heart was pure and his intention was good. He had a big mission that he couldn't overcome by himself, especially with his losses.

"I'll let you help out." Palutena finally agreed. "I'll help you locate your friend too, but I can't guarantee I'll find him."

"Poyo!"

Kirby was so happy the pretty lady was helping out! In gratitude, he wrapped himself around her waist. She gently pat his head and let him hug it out.

"Pit!" She called. Immediately, the brunet angel scrambled from the hall and skid to a kneel in front of her.

"Yes Lady Palutena?" He breathed.

"You can take Kirby to the hot spring now. And when you two are done, you can show him to a guest bedroom. He'll be helping us until his mission is over."

Pit whooped, punching a fist in the air before realizing whom he was in front of. He scratched his cheek sheepishly.

"Alright Kirby, this way!"

"Poyo!"

The pink haired boy let go and followed Pit around the hall. Palutena sighed. The memory of a beloved angel whose only wish was to be one with the stars resurfaced after many years. She missed him, but let go long ago. He was now an echo in the recesses of her mind. There was more important things to be thinking about, and she busied herself with that.

For now, she only concentrated on the joyful giggles from the temple's built in hot springs.

* * *

><p>Sorry that it meanders towards the end. It was hard wrapping that up, especially since I've already forgotten all of Hewdraw's attacks and I'm too lazy to look up a video. (717/12)


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